Sanely overboard

So, here’s the thing. As of today it’s exactly two weeks until Rhinebeck weekend, which is pretty freaking great. The last time I had an actual vacationy weekend trip, or a trip of any kind outside of my own country for that matter, was Rhinebeck last year, so it’s a nice thing to look forward to. It’s also going to be pretty neat to see so many of the knitting friends I normally only “see” via the internet (Twitter and blogs and email are super, but not as super as face to face chatter, sadly). And keen knitters love to knit sweaters to wear new for Rhinebeck, and boy howdy is my Rhinebeck sweater coming along. I am still loving the orange cables and Cascade 220 does zip along nicely as a worsted weight.

The sweater now has two sleeves, a back, and the start of one front piece, and after that it’s just one more front piece and the finishing. It’s not exactly a negligible amount of work (there will be button-bands to deal with), but it’s an extremely reasonable amount of work for 2 weeks of potential knitting time.

And well, here’s the other thing. This week I find myself, for the first time in about four or five months, without any deadline knitting. I’ve got upcoming projects to work on and no shortage of ideas and knitting plans swirling around, for sure, but this is an oddly refreshing feeling. And then last week my Ravine pullover was out in Skein Theory, and one of my internet knitting friends (hi, Blair! Say hi to London for me!) was saying how she wanted to knit it in some yarn she was just waiting for the right pattern for, and something in me snapped. I wanted one too. I like this sweater, dangit, and after a time there are only so many knits you can send off never to be reunited with ever again. So, in conclusion…

…I cast on a Ravine pullover for me. I’m not going to lie – in my head this is totally Rhinebeck sweater #2. I joked on Twitter that this really is going insanely overboard, but fellow knitter Megan chimed in that it is, in fact, quite sanely overboard, because even if I don’t make it in time for Rhinebeck, I’ll still make it for some time this season, and who doesn’t need another cabled sweater in their life? Not me, that’s for sure. More cabled sweaters. All of them!

I totally understand the tendency towards overboard… I’ve just taken on another project, despite having 1/2 a sweater, 1/4 of a cardigan, a nearly finished blanket and 1/2 a baby jumper in the knitting bag!

As someone who hasn’t been knitting very long and who only picks up tidbits about the knitwear design world from blogs like yours, I have to ask: where do the knits go after you send them away? I mean, after they’ve been petted and poked and photographed and whatnot, what happens to them?

Oh–cabled sweaters totally rule! I have 3 going right now. I cannot have enough of them. I need to give them away now. But – they are SO much fun to knit!!! Wonderful pattern and yarn colours on the Rhinebeck.

Nothing insane about that at all. I sincerely hope you get both of them finished. I’m loving the orange. I’m currently working on a shawl in the brown and cream of the Cascade 220 and I am loving it!!!

I may have some Galway in that same color lying around. It was on it’s way to being a sweater, but I decided that I hated how it was coming out, so I left it alone for a while, and now someone wants it in a different pattern for x-mas. We’ll be olive Galway buddies!